Conduct Unbecoming
by Wes Imlay
Summary: An officer has been murdered on the Battlestar Hermes. The inveestigation by Colonial Fleet Investigative Services could possibly ruin careers and embarrass the Colonial Fleet.


**Conduct Unbecoming**

**Fourteen Months Before the Fall:**

**Battlestar _Hermes_, Commanding Officer's Quarters:**

Thirty-four years in the service of the Colonial Fleet were coming to an end. Commander John Baptiste sat at the desk feeling a sense of dread regarding his future. His career was ending and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Time and scandal had caught up with him and this was the result.

Tomorrow he would welcome his replacement onboard the _Hermes_ and give him the lay of the ship. Commander Artimus Bowman had served as the Commanding Officer of the Battlestar _Hermes_. Now the man who had been the Executive Officer of the Battlestar _Cerberus_ was taking his place. The more Baptiste thought about it the more felt like a man who was being relegated to History's dustbin. Much like the older battlestars, he was seen as being past his prime and only fit to retire.

A sudden pang of anger took hold in his mind. Of all the ships for him to command why did it have to be the _Hermes_. Perhaps fate would have been kinder to him if he had simply been given command of a ship without such a checkered history. The most recent scandal to hit the ship was yet one more in a troubled line of incidents to occur onboard during its career with the Colonial Fleet.

Among the incidents was the one that led to the dismissal of the man Baptiste had replaced. It had not been that long ago that a smuggling ring had been discovered onboard _Hermes_ as well as other battlestars in the Colonial Fleet.

It had forced the dismissal of the CO at the time, Commander Alvin Granville, and several other officers who had the misfortune of not being aware of what had been happening onboard the ship.

Now Baptiste was going to have to face the consequences of having to fall on his sword in light of an incident he had no control over.

Three months ago, it was supposed to be just another watch in the CIC of his ship. Then everything fell apart and the Colonial Fleet Investigative Services were onboard.

The hatch to his quarters opened and in stepped Colonel Caleb Dytto, his XO on the _Hermes_ and the man he had tried to get promoted to take his place, looking as though he had to swallow some sort of bitter brew from Sickbay.

"Permission to speak freely," Dytto asked as he walked over to the table where Baptiste sat.

"From our time together on the _Cyrene_ you should know that you can always do that around me," Baptiste said with a sad smile. Dytto had been his Tactical Officer on the Battlestar _Medusa_. When he had taken command of the Medusa's sister ship, the _Cyrene_, he pressed for Dytto's promotion to Colonel.

"Very well, I think the Fleet is making a mistake. It's one thing to relieve you of command and force your retirement. It's a whole different level of stupidity to replace you with that upstart from the _Cerberus_."

"Don't hold back, Caleb, tell me how you really feel," Baptiste said half-jokingly.

"I know you wanted me to take over for you and for that you'll have my eternal respect. What did this Bowman guy do to get the position, are the rumors the crew's heard true?"

"I heard from friends in the Admiralty that Scott Tolan did push for Bowman's promotion, and it seems he had the influence to make it happen."

"That man is a thug," Dytto spat the word 'thug' as though it were a curse, "He's from a family of criminals on Canceron. For all we know he's no better than they are. Not to mention he's married to a Graystone."

"You see the world in shades of black and white, I suppose, when you're Orthodox Gemenese that's part of the territory," Baptiste said. He was nowhere near as religious as Dytto. However, a part of him admired the moral code the man lived by, even if it meant he could be inflexible at times.

"We are taught that those who commit the most grievous sins are worthy of being shunned by society until they either make restitution or show a sincere remorse for their actions. The likes of Tolan and the Graystones deserve an eternal shunning. In my eyes they will never be worthy of forgiveness. The way he ran over your wishes in order to get his friend command of the _Hermes_ just proves I'm right."

"At the end of the day he had the influence to make it happen. The interesting part is that I'm going to become a Rear Admiral when I retire. Tolan simply had more powerful friends than I did."

"It doesn't make it right; the good news is that Bowman will request his own XO and that will allow me to get a posting I'd actually want."

"I hope that's the case, because when a Commander and his XO don't get along that just leads to trouble."

"Like the trouble that happened three months ago," Dytto said before excusing himself.

**Seventeen Months before the Fall:**

**Orbit of Picon, Battlestar _Hermes_, CIC:**

"Is this all the morning comm traffic?" Commander John Baptiste asked as he shuffled through the reports at Command and Control.

"It would appear so. You never know if Communications might have left something out while turning over the watch," Colonel Caleb Dytto said as he scanned a report from Chief Jeremy Hayden concerning some mechanical problems with the Viper Mark VIIs that comprised the _Hermes_' air wing.

"Ensign Burmeister, wasn't your relief supposed to have shown up by now?" Baptiste asked Ensign Chloe Burmeister.

"Yes, sir, but Winslow never showed up to relieve me," Burmeister explained.

Ensign Philip Winslow had been on the _Hermes_ for the last six months and had a reputation among the crew that was far from flattering.

It had been rumored he had bragged about having friends back home on Canceron who were involved with the Basileus.

"Figueroa, I want you to send word to Sergeant to search the ship for Mister Winslow," Baptiste said to Petty Officer Joseph Figueroa, who promptly relayed the message to the _Hermes_' Master-At-Arms.

"Are you expecting trouble?" Dytto asked.

Baptiste was getting closer and to closer to retirement. He was almost seven months away from turning sixty and facing the possibility of mandatory retirement from the Colonial Fleet.

Perhaps it was his age and the reputation _Hermes_ had as a troubled ship that caused him to say, "I have to expect trouble, Colonel Dytto, that's how you avoid surprises."

"Commander, Agent Mansur would like to have a word with you," Figueroa said.

"Wonder what that could be about," Dytto said.

"Probably the bad news I was preparing for," Baptiste said as he picked up the receiver.

Sharif Mansur was the Colonial Fleet Investigative Service agent who had been stationed on the _Hermes_ during the deployment.

"CFIS agents are trouble if you ask me," Dytto said.

Dytto watched as Baptiste gave several one-word answers before saying he would be there and hung up the receiver.

"We can call off the search for Winslow; he was found in one of the food storage rooms. Looks like we have a death on the ship," Baptiste said as he looked off into the distance, wondering just what the immediate future would hold.

"That's just great," Dytto muttered.

It meant not only would this do little good to the _Hermes_' reputation but it would also mean more CFIS agents on the ship.

**Caprica City, Caprica:**

**CFIS Headquarters:**

Special Agent Catherine Odessa entered the office of Director Abram Medina and wondered if the director either had some bad news to give her or had some person she had apprehended complained of the treatment received during the arrest or maybe both.

"Have a seat, Odessa," Medina said as he motioned to a seat near where she was standing.

"Of course, what can I do for you, Director?" she asked.

"I received word from Agent Mansur on the _Hermes_ 37 minutes ago. There's apparently been a murder on the ship and he's requested some additional assistance with his investigation."

"I'll get my people together and we'll be ready to leave within the hour," Odessa said as she got up to leave the office.

"Who are you taking?"

"Milone, Conrad, and Clements," she said as she closed the door behind her.

"Milone, Conrad, Clements get your stuff together and meet me down in the garage," she called out as she walked to her desk and took out her CFIS credentials as well as her sidearm.

"Where are we heading?" Dustin Clements called out as he began shutting down his computer.

"You'll find out when we get in the car," Odessa said as she pushed the door for the elevator that would take them down to the parking garage in the lower level of the building.

Their headquarters had once been the main building for the old Global Defense Department back in the pre-Unification days.

The GDD was renamed at the end of the Cylon War and became the Caprica Police Department, or CPD, and served as the planetary police force for Caprica.

They now had a new building out in the Caprica City suburb of Imlach.

"I think it's safe to say plans for tonight are cancelled," Titus Conrad said as he grabbed his sidearm and holster out of his desk to attach it to his belt.

"Will you two stop being such babies," Wendi Milone said as she made her way to the elevator where Odessa was now holding the door open for them.

Five minutes later they were down in the parking garage of the building, where the black-painted vehicles used for official CFIS purposes were kept.

"Now that we're waiting for them to bring a car to us I'll fill you in on what's going on," Odessa said as she motioned for the three agents to get closer to her, "There's been a murder on the Battlestar _Hermes_ and we've been assigned to investigate. I won't lie to you, _Hermes_ has a record for being an unlucky ship and this probably is going to add to it. The crew had to deal with CFIS three months ago when we had to investigate that apparent suicide of one of the deck gang. Just know that when we get there we're probably not going to be welcomed with open arms."

"Understood," Clements said.

"Wouldn't be the first time we haven't had the welcome mat rolled out for us," Conrad said.

"Are you ok, Milone?" Odessa asked when she noticed the agent looking at something on the wall.

"I didn't even realize that was down here," Milone said as she walked to where a bronze plague was mounted on the wall.

Odessa watched as Milone walked up to the plague and looked at the names inscribed on it.

Her fingers ran along one of the names though Odessa was not sure which one Milone was touching in such a loving manner.

Odessa began to walk towards where Milone was standing and she began to get a better glimpse of the plague.

It had thirty-nine names inscribed on it and written above the names was 'Dedicated to the agents of the Global Defense Department who lost their lives on the day of the Cylon Revolt'.

Her eyes went to the alphabetized list of names and began to read the B names: Elvin Bazely, Vance Bebas, Natasha Belet, Keenan Bell, Tanya Benjamin, Angela Berry, Carson Blackwood, Jack Bowman, John Brennan and others who died that day when the Cylons turned against their human creators.

She let her eyes drift to where Milone's hand was and she saw the name Isabella Martinez.

Beneath it was the name she was stroking with affection,Bruno Milone.

"Your grandfather was one of the agents killed that day," Odessa said.

Milone nodded, "From the way the story was told is that he was down here to escort a prisoner to Carthage for trial. Both he and the agent who was going to ride with him died that day."

"Who was the agent with him?"

Milone was quiet as she remembered the story and it was then that she found the name on the plaque, "Jack Bowman."

Odessa put a reassuring hand on Milone's shoulder, "You take your time and then come join us when the car gets here."

She was born four years after the Cylon War ended but Odessa had heard the stories from her parents on Libran about what life was like during the conflict. Watching Wendi Milone's reaction to that plaque on the wall brought all of those stories back to her. While Colonial society as a whole seemed to do all it could to put the war behind them there were families that even now were still somehow touched by the war with the Cylons.

**Caprica Transfer Station:**

After over an hour of navigating the clogged streets of Caprica City, they were finally at Caprica Transfer Station. Commander Baptiste had tasked one of his Raptor pilots to come pick them up and deliver them to the _Hermes_. They had taken a seat near the entrance to the station and with the Raptor from _Hermes_ delayed it seemed like a good idea to pick up a bite to eat while they waited.

"Agent Odessa, this is a surprise," Frank Bruno, the chef and server for the transfer station, said as he walked up to the table.

"Hey, Frank, we're here on business. There's a Raptor coming to take us to the _Hermes_," she said to Bruno when he was close enough for her to speak to him without anyone nearby being able to hear.

"That's one hard-luck ship," Bruno said with a sad shake of his head, "I remember the fallout from the Zelonis Incident, weren't you one of the investigators for that case?"

"That was about," Odessa said as she tried to calculate the exact period, "five months after the Bowman investigation concluded."

"I was with you for that one too, it was a damn shame what happened there," Milone said.

The Zelonis Incident took place on the _Hermes_ during its first deployment after a three-month refit at Lampetia Shipyard. A group of officers put a group of enlisted crew through a rigorous hazing that left most of them with some sort of injury. One of them, Noel Zelonis, would die from severe head trauma she received because of the hazing. The _Hermes_' commanding officer, Commander Donald Roderick, knew of the hazing and tried to cover it up. As a result of the investigation Roderick, his Executive Officer, and eight other officers were brought up on charges and were out of the Colonial Fleet.

"_Hermes_ has always been a ship with a bad reputation, I think it would be considered unlucky if it weren't for fact that its sister rammed the docks at Scorpia," Bruno said as he took note of the drinks the agents had ordered.

"Am I the only one who finds that a bit odd," Clements said after Bruno had delivered their drinks and sandwiches.

"Which part would that be?" Milone asked before taking a bite of her food.

"Two ships of the same class, each of them with its share of issues when they were both in service."

"_Hermes_ has had personnel issues; _Jupiter_ was more of a mechanical disaster," Conrad said.

"One of my friends was an officer on the _Jupiter_ when it had its big accident," Odessa said as she remembered what had happened that day at the shipyard above Scorpia.

"What happened that day? I'm afraid I never read up on it," Milone admitted.

"It was about eight years ago. The _Jupiter_ was tied up to its pier at Scorpion Fleet Shipyards and my friend, Captain Joseph Kersting, was serving as Officer of the Deck since the ship was set for an in-port watch. To make a long story short, a power surge in one of the engines threw the _Jupiter_ into its moorings. The forward section of the ship was severely damaged as a result. Sadly, there were casualties from the damage."

"What happened to the _Jupiter_ after that?"

"For two years the repair work was carried out at Hargrove Shipyard above Picon. The problem is that the bastards did the work as cheaply as they could; when the _Jupiter_ finally did enter service again, it was dogged by mechanical problems that were so bad that the ship had to be decommissioned. Officially, she's on Active Reserve so if there's ever a war she should be brought back into service within a matter of months. I know better."

"How do you know better?" Conrad asked.

"This was back when I was assigned to the Scorpia division five years ago. There was a rumor that there was a corrupt official at the Scorpion yards that was allowing scrap merchants to board the vessels there to take off equipment to sell. Our intelligence reports suggested that the _Jupiter_ would be the next target so our team boarded the ship and waited for the thieves to come onboard and they did not disappoint. I'm not a ship expert but equipment had already been stripped off that ship, it'd take more than a few months to get that battlestar in working order again."

"What was it like on there?" Clements asked.

"Empty and quiet, almost like being in a metal tomb. A battlestar hums with life when it's active and has a crew onboard. There is something about stepping onto a hangar deck that is empty of crew and aircraft. You can smell stale air and tylium fuel that flowed into the Vipers from when it was an active part of the fleet. What I saw on there was a ship that was a shell of what it used to be."

"Did you have to shoot at any of the thieves," Milone asked.

"Yeah and let me tell you this; there was one hell of an echo on the hangar deck."

"If you'll allow me to change the subject," Clements said before any of the others could speak, "I love hearing our boss' stories from her past assignments but they kind of make her even more intimidating. So with that said let me ask you, Milone, is there a story about that ring on your finger?"

"I can't believe any of you noticed until now," Milone said as the fingers on her right hand began to feel the diamond ring on her left ring finger, "This past weekend Samuel took me out to Tybee Island and there he asked me to marry him."

"He took you out to the Ionian Islands to propose to you; that is what I call love!" Odessa exclaimed as she took Milone's hand to examine the ring.

"It may be a year or so before I officially become Mrs. Samuel Bradway, even better is that I can stay here on Caprica."

The conversation was cut short by the announcement that their Raptor from _Hermes_ had arrived.

"They made it earlier than I had thought they would have," Odessa said as her and the three agents got up from their table and made their way out to where the Raptor had landed.

"Agent Odessa?" the Raptor pilot said as he saw Odessa and her agents approach.

"Catherine Odessa," she said as she held out her hand for the pilot to shake.

"Lieutenant Aaron Bolenko," he said as he shook her hand.

"What's your call sign?"

"They call me 'Stinger'; I'll be the one driving your taxi to the _Hermes_."

"As long as you don't drive like those Caprica City taxi drivers we'll get along just fine," Odessa said as she stepped into the Raptor's cabin and took a seat.

**Thirty-Six Minutes Later:**

**Battlestar _Hermes_:**

The port hangar pod of the _Hermes_ came closer as the Raptor got within range to begin its landing.

"Raptor 864, this is Port Side Traffic Control. You are now clear to land," the voice of Lieutenant Joshua Albert, the Traffic Control Officer for the port flight pod, said over the wireless.

"Roger that Control, this Stinger coming in for landing," Bolenko said as he eased the Raptor onto a glide path that would allow him to come in for as easy a landing as possible.

**Sixteen Minutes Later, Hangar Deck:**

"Thank you for the soft landing, Stinger, I thought you might have gone for the hard landing to shake us up a bit," Odessa said as she stepped off the Raptor.

"No need to do that, you CFIS agents may not have the most-loved of reputations but you've never done anything to make me not like you," Bolenko said as he took Milone's hand as she stepped off the Raptor and onto the deck.

"Agent Odessa," a young woman wearing a blue officer uniform with the pips of an Ensign on her collar said as she walked to the Raptor where the agents were still standing making small talk with Bolenko.

"That would be me," Odessa said as she extended a handshake to the young officer, "Senior Agent Catherine Odessa."

"Ensign Chloe Burmeister, I work in the Tactical Division, Commander Baptiste sent me to assist you," she said as she shook Odessa's hand.

"Thank you, Ensign Burmeister. Allow me to introduce you to the rest of my team; with me are Agents Wendi Milone, Dustin Clements, and Titus Conrad."

After exchanging introductions Burmeister asked, "Is there any place you'd like for me to take you first?"

"Take me to the crime scene; I'm assuming the Master-At-Arms still has it secured."

"Yes he does. Both Agent Mansur and Sergeant Cornelius are at the crime scene waiting for you, if you'd follow me," Burmeister said as she turned and headed toward the hatch that would take them from the Hangar Deck and start their journey to Food Storage Room 03-E.

**Food Storage Room 03-E:**

"Agent Odessa, it's been a while since we last talked," Agent Sharif Mansur said after exchanging greetings with Odessa and her team.

"Not since the officer on the _Olympus_ who was caught using drugs."

"Yeah, we tried to get her to play nice with us and name her dealer. That is, until you came and put the fear of the gods into her."

"Well, it had to be done," Odessa said before turning her attention to the _Hermes_' Master-At-Arms, "Sergeant Cornelius, has anyone tried to gain access to the room since the body was discovered?"

"Some of the mess crew tried to get in here but I sent them packing," Sergeant Ezekiel Cornelius said before adding, "I told them that they'd have to go raid another room for supplies because nobody was getting through into this room."

"I want the four of you to get more photos and send them to headquarters. Gather as much evidence as you can for us to send for processing," Odessa said to the four CFIS agents before turning her attention to Burmeister, "Ensign Burmeister, I want you to escort me to Commander Baptiste."

**Commanding Officer's Quarters:**

"Commander Baptiste, Agent Odessa is here to see you," Burmeister said after she opened the hatch to Baptiste's quarters.

"Send her in," Baptiste said from his seat behind his office desk.

"I'll be outside to escort you back to the crime scene."

"Thank you, Ensign," Odessa said as she stepped through the hatch and closed it behind her.

"Agent Odessa, have you come here for the recommendations you requested?"

"That is one of the things I'm here for; I know your ship probably has scuttlebutt going at break-neck speed right now. I'd recommend that you suspend all planet-bound craft unless it's absolutely needed."

"Because you don't want to give the killer a chance to get away," he said as though he could read her thoughts.

"Very good, Commander, I could also use a list of the people who have left the ship in the last twenty-four hours. Ensign Burmeister can assist me in going over this list."

"You are making demands, Odessa; at least it gives me the impression you're acting as though you're the boss."

"You think I'm overstepping my bounds?"

"I think you're trying too hard to make headway on this case. Is there a reason why you're moving at this speed?"

"That officer with the bullet hole in his head is a good reason to do that."

"This is the last thing I needed. _Hermes_ has an unlucky reputation as it is; this is only going to add to it."

"If we're fortunate this will be just another boring CFIS investigation that won't become a scandal. Did Agent Mansur drop off the contents of Ensign Winslow's locker?"

Baptiste reached down and with both arms deposited a cardboard box with 'P. Winslow' written on it in black permanent marker, "Everything is there that was in the locker. I'll have Ensign Burmeister take it to your guest quarters."

"Thank you, Commander; my people will try not to disturb the Hermes' routine too much."

"I'd appreciate that, as it is I have enough on my plate here to worry about without having you meddling in things," Baptiste said with a burst of frustration coming out in his voice, "This murder has shaken things up here on the ship. You and your people can interview whomever you need and I will make any people available you need to assist you. Feel free to use the facilities onboard."

Odessa stood and turned to leave, "Thank you, I'll let you know whoever it is I'll need for my investigation."

**Two Hours and Forty-One Minutes Later:**

**Guest Stateroom Three-A:**

"Any idea if we're close to finding someone you approve of?" Milone asked after thumbing through the latest file from the stack of personnel Baptiste had made available to serve as assistants during their time on the Hermes.

"We've chosen our first person already, I think we need one more and that should be enough," Odessa said as she opened another file containing the service record.

"Ensign Burmeister was a logical choice, she's already met us and I'm sure you've already formed an opinion of her."

"Very observant, Milone. Ensign Burmeister already knows to be here promptly at 0800. She's looks to be a model officer from what I've read about her."

"That's good to know. Now it's just a matter of finding who's going to be working with her. Remind me again why Clements and Conrad aren't helping us again."

"I'll humor you on this one. They're going through the flight logs over the last twenty-four hours to see if anyone left the ship that shouldn't have. Thankfully, Baptiste has gone with my request to put the ship on lockdown. Flights away from the ship, excluding flight ops, are prohibited."

"Surprised he went along with that."

"I like to think he's as determined to find who the killer is as much as we are."

"I think I found someone," Milone said as she handed the file over to Odessa.

"Lieutenant junior grade Joshua Albert…he's from Virgon and graduated from Abry Military Academy. You can go tell him that he's been drafted into our merry band," Odessa said as she set the file with Burmeister's.

**Berthing Compartment 42-C:**

The four officers, all members of the _Hermes_' Air Traffic Control crew, were sitting at the small table in their berthing compartment playing an impromptu game of Triad.

"So, Albert, do you think you're really going to win this round?" Lieutenant Brett Adams said as he surveyed the cards in his hand.

"Come on, Brett, can't you see the way Albie's sweating. I think he knows he's going down," Lieutenant Levi Robbins announced as though he were stating a fact.

"I think you're forgetting that there's an ensign here who can take all three of you down," Ensign Omar Hassan said.

"I guess there's only one way to find out then," Albert said and he would have said more except the hatch to the room came open and in stepped Captain Weston Drake.

"Albert, get up and come with me," Drake said.

"Aye sir, may I ask what's going on?" Albert said as he mentally tried to think of what he could have done.

"We have some friends who came onboard who'd like to speak with you," he said as he motioned for Albert to follow him.

'Frak me, it's got to be those CFIS agents,' he thought as he followed Drake out into the corridor.

**Seventeen Minutes Later:**

**Officers Wardroom:**

Albert stepped into the wardroom where he was greeted by the sight of four CFIS agents and one of the ship's officers.

"Lieutenant Albert," one of the women said in an attempt to snap him out of his apparent reverie, "I'm Agent Catherine Odessa with the CFIS. With me are Agents Wendi Milone, Dustin Clements, Titus Conrad, and Sharif Mansur. Your fellow officer is Ensign Chloe Burmeister from Tactical."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Albert said knowing it was a lie, "I think I've seen you in the Officers Mess if I'm not mistaken."

"You may have but I'm not sure if I remember seeing you or not."

"How long have you been onboard?"

"About three months now," Burmeister said

"Sorry to break up the conversation but you can pick this back up soon," Odessa said before she continued, "Lieutenant Albert, you and Ensign Burmeister are going to be working with us on the murder investigation. I've already informed Captain Drake so that he can make the necessary adjustments. I expect both of you to report here at 0800. Goodnight and tomorrow we get to work."

When the agents had left the wardroom, the two officers took a seat at one of the tables.

"Have you spent your whole career so far on the _Hermes_?" Burmeister asked.

Albert shook his head, "I spent a year on the _Stryker_ before I came to _Hermes_. Since then this ship has become a second home."

"I'm still learning my way around here."

"It took me some time to learn my way around here; the crazy thing is that _Hermes_ is dwarfed by some of the newer vessels that have been completed. What colony are you from?"

"I'm from Gemenon, what about you?"

"Virgon, I grew up in Boskirk. Where did you grow up on Gemenon?"

"I grew up in Oranu, have you ever been there?"

"Can't say that I have, I'm afraid my knowledge of Gemenon isn't quite up to par."

"I won't hold that against you."

"That's a relief…I know we have to meet with Agent Odessa early so I'm going to get some sleep. See you in the morning Lieutenant Albert," Burmeister said as she got up from the table and left the room.

"See you tomorrow Ensign Burmeister," Albert said as he got up from the table to go get a drink. He was not sure how long it would be until he was back at his normal duty post in the Traffic Control Center.

**Guest Stateroom Three-A:**

The printer in the room beeped and began printing out the pages of the document that it had been sent to it. Odessa got off of her bunk and went over to see what had been sent to her. Headquarters had informed her that she should expect a document a few hours ago. In spite of herself she felt a sense of surprise that it had not taken longer.

When the printing was finished Odessa picked up the document and saw the cover page bore the insignia of the Colonial Fleet Investigative Services and the usual warning about classified documents. She took off the cover sheet and turned it face down on the nearby table. The next sheet was a letter from Director Constance Blackwelll, the Director of the Picon branch of the CFIS, informing her that she should check into Winslow's background for a possible link to groups such as the Erebea.

'The Erebea, they would find a way to work into this,' Odessa thought to herself as she tried to read the rest of the report but found that her eyes did not want to cooperate. The words on the paper seemed to go in and out of focus the more she tried to read them. Realizing that her eyes were starting to get tired, she placed the report in the lockbox located at the foot of her bed. Her body was telling her that it was in desperate need of sleep.

Tomorrow she would begin her investigation, though a part of her mind wondered if this would be a simple murder investigation or turn into something larger.

**A/N: This story incorporates characters from various other stories. The Hermes itself is from Tony Wilkins' superb 'Battlestar Hermes' series. The Hermes and the characters from the story are used with his permission. Also present are characters from the 'Global Defense' series, which can be found on this site in the 'Caprica' section.**


End file.
